it's not us With Autographed CD Insert

The music of Umphrey’s McGee unfolds like an unpredictable conversation between longtime friends. Its six participants—Brendan Bayliss [guitar, vocals], Jake Cinninger [guitar, vocals], Joel Cummins [keyboards, piano, vocals], Andy Farag [percussion], Kris Myers [drums, vocals], and Ryan Stasik [bass]—know just how to communicate with each other on stage and in the studio. A call of progressive guitar wizardry might elicit a response of soft acoustic balladry, or a funk groove could be answered by explosive percussion. At any moment, heavy guitars can give way to heavier blues as the boys uncover the elusive nexus between jaw-dropping instrumental virtuosity and airtight songcraft.

The conversation continues on their eleventh full-length album, it’s not us. Umphrey’s McGee entered I.V. Labs Studio in Chicago in November of 2016 to record what would become the band’s eleventh full-length studio album. The result was the most vibrant, mature expression of the band’s growing studio prowess to date. “We decided to go in for a week, live, eat, and breathe Umphrey’s McGee,” recalls Joel, “we’re known as a strong live band, but we take so much pride in our writing. [In this album] the focus is on that writing.”

The first single “The Silent Type” is powered by a bombastic beat, funkified rhythms, fiery fretwork, and a chantable refrain, introducing it’s not us with a bright and brilliant bang. “Half Delayed” builds from airy guitar into an iridescent refrain, meanwhile, the bass strut anthemic beat production and percussive wallop of “Looks” could be the love child of Nine Inch Nails and Talking Heads. The metallic shredfest outro of “Remind Me” bleeds effortlessly into the gorgeous acoustic love song “You & You Alone.”

it’s not us is Umphrey’s McGee at its peak prowess, creating music with both precision and emotional content 20 years into a career. “We’re not going anywhere,” says Brendan Bayliss. “We’re starting to find our identity. I think if you give it a chance, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”